


something beautiful

by arthursmorgan



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, First Kiss, Flower Crowns, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, arthur makes charles a flower crown
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-20 00:54:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17612357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arthursmorgan/pseuds/arthursmorgan
Summary: Creating small and intricate chains of flowers interwined with each other was something Jack was exceptionally good at. Arthur, not so much. The task was one of delicacy and required a feeling for finesse - both of which Arthur lacked immensely of.





	something beautiful

Creating small and intricate chains of flowers interwined with each other was something Jack was exceptionally good at. Arthur, not so much. The task was one of delicacy and required a feeling for finesse - both of which Arthur lacked immensely of.

Jack had tried showing him, time and time again, and each and every time, Arthurs big and calloused hands managed to break the stems of the delicate flowers, or crumble the fragile petals. Arthur supposed he just was not made for creating something of beauty, only of destruction and sorrow. Arthur was a servant of death, not of life and not of growth.

But Jack insisted on teaching his uncle how to make a proper chain out of flowers, and Arthur was determined to learn it. Every single day, without miss, Jack would show up at Arthurs tent, flowers already in hand, grinning up at Arthur as he held out the small plucked flowers. And Arthur always greeted him with a small smile and a wave of the hand, gesturing for Jack to sit next to him on the cot and show him once more. 

„Who are you giving yours to?“ Jack asked after having completed his first little chain, watching Arthurs face intently. Arthur struggled with finishing off his chain, and so Jack tried to help him as Arthur answered. „I don‘t know, kid. May keep it myself,“ he said softly, smiling at the giggling boy. „There!“ Jack called out, handing Arthur back his chain made of daisies and hyacinths. 

„You giving yours to your ma?“ Arthur asked after he inspected the chain he had made all by himself, well, mostly by himself. Nevertheless, he was proud of it. For once, he created something instead of destroying it, and for once, he succeeded in doing so.

„I‘m giving it to pa!“ Jack said excitedly, already hopping off of the cot to go find John in camp. Arthur thought that if Jack could be brave enough to give his distant father an act of devotion and love, so could Arthur. 

So he wandered towards the place he had last spotted Charles at a few minutes ago. And Charles was still sitting there at the small table, crafting arrows and humming softly to himself. 

„What you humming there?“ Arthur asked as he settled down on the seat across from Charles‘. The other man quickly looked up from his work, saying „Arthur,“ in greeting, before he turned back towards his arrow while answering. „It‘s an old song my mother used to sing to me when I was little.“

„It sounds beautiful,“ Arthur tried, making Charles‘ lips tug upwards in a small smile, still looking at his working hands. Arthur was quietly watching the other mans fingers work with expertise, sucking Arthur into a deep thrall he was not sure he wanted to escape of. „It is,“ he simply said after he finished his improved arrow.

„I, uh, got this for you,“ Arthur finally said, catching Charles‘ attention once again. He held up his chain and reached it out for Charles to take. And he did, and then he put it onto his head, and then he smiled so beautifully at Arthur that Arthur thought he would give up everything else in his life if he could only keep the image of that smile in his mind. 

The wavy hair over Charles shoulder and the sun shining against his face, making his eyes glow and his eyelashes shine against them, were accentuated much more delicately with the chain of arranged flowers on his head. „Thank you, Arthur,“ he spoke, his voice ethereal. At least to Arthur, it was. Ethereal. Everything about Charles seemed to be of better nature than the world itself. Nothing had ever managed to seep into his mind, corrupting his thoughts and turning them into ash, making him a prisoner in his own mind. 

Charles wasn‘t like Arthur. And Charles was one reason Arthur wanted to change, if only to get Charles‘ respect and admiration. 

Afterwards, when almost all of the big family were gathered around the smoking campfire, confused looks were shared amongst some of them. Nobody quite knew why, all of a sudden, John and Charles had chains of flowers in their hair, seemingly out of nowhere. But nobody was bothered enough to question it, and so Arthur and Jack just shared a small smile with each other, both delighted that their recipient had accepted the gift.

——

The next day, Jack joined Arthur again. This time carrying different kinds of flowers in his small hands. Flowers that Arthur had not yet seen. „What kinda flowers are those?“

„Uncle Charles brought me those. The red ones are poppies but I forgot the rest,“ he said with excitement lacing his every word, beaming up at Arthur. Arthur took some of the flowers that Jack had now spread out between them on the cot and began arranging them on his lap, careful not to break any of them.

Both worked in silence again, and both came up with a small chain again. Jack gave his to Abigail this time, and Arthur his to Charles once again.

It became a tradition. Once Arthur had learned the arts of creating the small crowns made of flowers, Jack and him would spend a few minutes of every day creating them together. And when somebody tried requesting something of Arthur and he spotted the little boy already strolling towards him, a small bounce in his step, Arthur would decline kindly.

And every single day, Charles was seen with flowers in his long hair and a smile on his face. 

On one day, Charles asked Arthur to accompany him. Where to, Arthur did not know, but he never minded not knowing if he was to be with Charles. The two rode out of their camp and into some woods nearby, where Charles dismounted his mare, stroking Taimas neck as he tethered her reins onto a tree. Arthur did the same and then followed Charles deeper into the dense forest.

„Here are some very beautiful flowers,“ Charles quietly said, looking around on the ground, searching for something. „That why you brought me out here?“ Arthur asked, amusement seeping through his question, trying to hide the surge in his heart.

„Yes,“ Charles simply said as he sat down onto the ground, beginning to pluck some of the blue flowers there. „Show me,“ Charles said as he handed some of the flowers to Arthur, letting them drop into Arthurs open hands.

„Sure,“ he said as he began working on a small chain, noticing Charles gaze on him the entire time. But somehow it felt more comforting than unsettling; unlike any other time he was being watched, Arthur was at ease. 

Arthur finished without a word, and picked the crown up from his lap, holding it out. Charles seemed to realize Arthurs intentions and ducked his head, letting the other man adjust the flowers onto his hair. 

Their eyes met, and Arthur felt as though the soft breeze had taken his breath right along with it. Felt as though the sun shone in Charles‘ eyes and as though flowers - just like the ones in Charles’ hair - were growing in his lungs, stopping his breathing. He stroked an astray strand of hair behind Charles ear and when he went to drop his hand, the other man wrapped his own around his wrist, keeping it in place at the side of Charles‘ face.

And then Charles leaned in, and Arthur felt as though his heart was beating so hard it was about to burst through his chest. But, despite the burning and seething in his chest, he met Charles halfway; and met him in a gentle kiss. He placed his hovering hand fully onto the others cheek again, caressing it tenderly as Charles‘ own hand came up to Arthurs face to mirror him.

For a few more minutes they sat there in the quiet forest, shadowed from view by the trees shades, and Arthur knew that he would never want to leave this moment if it weren‘t for Charles tugging at him to wrap him up in an embrace. Arthurs face was in Charles‘ neck, and he pressed a soft kiss there before he pulled back again. 

The flowers on Charles‘ head were slightly askew from all the movement, so Arthur adjusted them whilst Charles watched him. 

„I want to try,“ Charles then whispered into the quiet, picking up some of the flowers to try one of his own.

And when they both returned to camp with flowers in their hair and big smiles on their faces, standing a bit closer to each other than usually, nobody cared enough to mention it.

**Author's Note:**

> this was a prompt somebody sent me on tumblr, thank you so much for it i loved writing it and i hope yall enjoy reading it!


End file.
